ULI North Florida’s 2014 Awards of Excellence
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) North Florida announced the finalists of the 2014 Awards for Excellence at the Studios of WJCT, Jacksonville, on October 9, an annual awards program that recognizes real estate development projects throughout North Florida based on ULI’s mission to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Take a look at the spaces in our community that were awarded for their excellence.
ULI North Florida started the annual Awards for Excellence program in 2012 to identify, showcase and promote projects throughout North Florida that represent the best practices in all aspects of real estate development and place making: planning, design, construction and economic viability. There are four categories of awards plus the annual Visionary Leader award.
Private Sector
Public Sector/Open Space/Non-Profits
Downtown Sector
Reuse/Repurpose Sector
ULI North Florida solicits nominations from its more than 350 members in our District Council that includes 34 North Florida counties from Flagler to Escambia, including Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City. The awards criteria are based on the ULI mission to provide leadership and the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. The projects had to have been completed within the last 7 years, be financially sustainable, and incorporate ULI’s Building Healthy Places design principles.
Put People First
Recognize the Economic Value
Empower Champions for Health
Energize Shared Spaces
Make Healthy Choices Easy
Ensure Equitable Access
Mix It Up
Embrace Unique Character
Promote Access to Healthy Food
Make It Active
The 2014 submissions were reviewed by a panel of local and national judges including:
Tom Murphy, ULI Senior Resident Fellow, Joseph C. Canizaro/Klingbeil Family Chair for Urban Development, Washington, DC
Ed McMahon, ULI Senior Resident, Fellow Charles E. Fraser Chair for Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy, Washington, DC
Joel Embry, CEO, Civic Software Inc., Fernandina Beach, FL
Nathan Collier, Principal and Chairman, The Collier Companies, Gainesville, FL
Suria Yaffar, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Zyscovich Architects, Miami, FL
The 2014 Awards of Excellence finalists and winners were:
PRIVATE SECTOR
Mellow Mushroom Avondale (Winner)
Owner John Valentino worked tirelessly with Riverside Avondale Preservation and the surrounding neighborhood for over a year to secure approvals for the iconic Mellow Mushroom Avondale. The development team had to overcome many obstacles along the way through dozens of meetings with several neighborhood factions and City Council members. Mellow Mushroom has brought new life and different energy to an already vibrant street. The development team figured out a way to reuse and revamp a piece of property which had an existing historic structure and abandoned gas station. After demolishing the gas station, they built a stunning 9,000 square foot restaurant in its place, taking the area residents concerns to heart, while providing additional parking, outstanding landscaping and bike racks for restaurant patrons.
Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails
Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails debuted at the Markets at Town Center in Jacksonville in late November 2013. In both design and concept, the restaurant occupies multiple realms: new and old, personal and public, gritty and sophisticated, serious and whimsical. Filled with personal touches of graphic art and wooden “map panel” murals made by local artists to the reclaimed wood and hand-wrought metalwork, guests find connections in the ways the design, food, and ambiance work together.
PUBLIC SECTOR / OPEN SPACE / NON-PROFIT
Cascade Park (Winner)
Since 2000, the City of Tallahassee and Leon County Intergovernmental Agency, Blueprint 2000, has focused on the community’s critical infrastructure needs. The low-lying Cascades area was a high priority; flooding, and soil contamination from an old gas fired coal plant had plagued the area since the early 1900s. The plan concept for the new “Cascades Park” was to remediate the brownfield site, abate the persistent flooding by constructing natural-looking stormwater facilities, and restore/emulate the historic stream and “Cascades” waterfall. The Park was conceived, planned, designed and built over 15 years with involvement of multiple agencies,
the community and Blueprint 2000, and was funded almost entirely through a local option penny sales tax. The Blueprint 2000 “Capital Cascades Trail Master Plan” called for a multi-faceted, multi-use stormwater and recreation facility with a connected trail network, with Cascades Park as the centerpiece of a linear greenway. The park has community-wide impacts including improved water quality, enhanced traffic circulation and revitalized ecosystems.
Cummer Museum Improvements
In 2012, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens launched a campus-wide landscape enhancement and beautification initiative. As part of this comprehensive project, several areas on the campus were reimagined to become more beautiful, more dynamic, and more sustainable spaces for visitors to enjoy the natural world and learn about best practices. This project encompassed the restoration of the historic Olmsted Garden, which nearly doubled the Museum’s riverfront presence; the renovation of the Museum’s parking lot, incorporating sustainable and pedestrian-friendly elements such as pervious pavers and bike racks; and re- energizing the Museum’s public face by widening sidewalks, adding a publically-accessible sculpture garden, creating an outdoor deck for the Museum’s Café, and unifying the entire façade with innovative landscape.
DOWNTOWN SECTOR
The New Town Success Zone (Winner)
In 2011, and utilizing more than 600 volunteers, HabiJax completed a visual assessment of over 1,000 residential properties in The New Town area of Jacksonville. HabiJax embarked on a $16 million capital campaign to provide home ownership to 135 families and complete 300 projects for homeowners already living in the neighborhood. Since embarking on this campaign, HabiJax has partnered with almost 100 families who have purchased homes and more than 150 projects for existing homeowners have been completed.
Jacksonville Chamber International Plaza
Dubbed “Downtown’s New Front Door,” the Jacksonville Chamber International Plaza is a $3.5 million project that includes state-of-the-art technology, modern, open spaces, along with a tree-lined front plaza for events and receptions. The City owns the land and the Chamber owns the building, a truly successful Public-Private Partnership. Funded through donations by member businesses and longtime supporters, the JAX Chamber now has a building that’s a model for the workspace of the future and the business climate it is working to create in Northeast Florida.
REUSE / REPURPOSE SECTOR
St. Augustine Distillery & Ice Plant (Winner)
In 2012, Phillip McDaniel, a local St. Augustine businessman, purchased the 100 year old St. Augustine Ice Plant and converted the building into a distillery and restaurant/bar. The historic St. Augustine Ice Plant was the first commercial ice production in the State of Florida. Constructed in two phases between 1917 and 1927, it served as a prototype model for Florida Power & Light which produced 17 more such ice plants throughout the state. The building is now home to both the St. Augustine Distillery and The Ice Plant Bar and Restaurant.
Aardwolf Brewery
Originally built in 1925 as an ice storage house, this San Marco building sat vacant for several years. The people at Aardwolf saw an opportunity to claim a space in a highly desirable location that could serve as both a brewery and a tap room. The location was selected for several reasons. Not only is the building located in the heart of a neighborhood excited by their product, the existing warehouse doors allowed for the easy installation of the vats and shipping of the beer. Like most assembly buildings in developed parts of Jacksonville, the building faced the challenge of having enough parking for its clientele. The parking area was designed to maximize the number of parking spaces, create a buffer for the building and parking against the railroad tracks and provide a bike rack for neighborhood use.
THE 2014 VISIONARY LEADER AWARD
Peter S. Rummell
For more than 40 years, Peter Rummell has been instrumental in the real estate development industry. From beginning his career with the Sea Pines Company, developers of Hilton Head and Amelia Island, to his presidency of Disney Development Corporation, building over 20,000 hotel rooms and developing the town of Celebration, Florida, Peter Rummell has distinguished himself as a leader and innovator in the industry. As chairman and chief executive officer of The St. Joe Company, Rummell led the transition of St. Joe from a regional manufacturing conglomerate focused on paper making to a dynamic real estate company and place-making community development company.
Peter serves as a Trustee for the Urban Land Institute and is the immediate past global chairman of ULI and the ULI Foundation. He also serves on the board of the Foundation for Florida’s Future.
Peter is a past chairman of the Florida Council of 100, and past chairman and a board member of The Alliance for World Class Education. He is also the immediate past chairman of the Jacksonville Civic Council. In 2005, Rummell was co-chairman of the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee, which hosted Super Bowl XXXIX.
Peter is also the founder of One Spark, a crowd-funding creator’s event that launched in Jacksonville in 2013. This year’s event drew more than 600 creators and attendance neared 260,000 in downtown Jacksonville. One Spark is about connecting people with great ideas to the resources they need to make them a reality.
Peter Rummell is a true visionary leader, and has made North Florida a better place because of his contributions.
Source: Urban Land Institute (ULI) North Florida
Private Sector
Public Sector/Open Space/Non-Profits
Downtown Sector
Reuse/Repurpose Sector
ULI North Florida solicits nominations from its more than 350 members in our District Council that includes 34 North Florida counties from Flagler to Escambia, including Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pensacola and Panama City. The awards criteria are based on the ULI mission to provide leadership and the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. The projects had to have been completed within the last 7 years, be financially sustainable, and incorporate ULI’s Building Healthy Places design principles.
Put People First
Recognize the Economic Value
Empower Champions for Health
Energize Shared Spaces
Make Healthy Choices Easy
Ensure Equitable Access
Mix It Up
Embrace Unique Character
Promote Access to Healthy Food
Make It Active
The 2014 submissions were reviewed by a panel of local and national judges including:
Tom Murphy, ULI Senior Resident Fellow, Joseph C. Canizaro/Klingbeil Family Chair for Urban Development, Washington, DC
Ed McMahon, ULI Senior Resident, Fellow Charles E. Fraser Chair for Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy, Washington, DC
Joel Embry, CEO, Civic Software Inc., Fernandina Beach, FL
Nathan Collier, Principal and Chairman, The Collier Companies, Gainesville, FL
Suria Yaffar, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Principal, Zyscovich Architects, Miami, FL
The 2014 Awards of Excellence finalists and winners were:
PRIVATE SECTOR
Mellow Mushroom Avondale (Winner)
Owner John Valentino worked tirelessly with Riverside Avondale Preservation and the surrounding neighborhood for over a year to secure approvals for the iconic Mellow Mushroom Avondale. The development team had to overcome many obstacles along the way through dozens of meetings with several neighborhood factions and City Council members. Mellow Mushroom has brought new life and different energy to an already vibrant street. The development team figured out a way to reuse and revamp a piece of property which had an existing historic structure and abandoned gas station. After demolishing the gas station, they built a stunning 9,000 square foot restaurant in its place, taking the area residents concerns to heart, while providing additional parking, outstanding landscaping and bike racks for restaurant patrons.
Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails
Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails debuted at the Markets at Town Center in Jacksonville in late November 2013. In both design and concept, the restaurant occupies multiple realms: new and old, personal and public, gritty and sophisticated, serious and whimsical. Filled with personal touches of graphic art and wooden “map panel” murals made by local artists to the reclaimed wood and hand-wrought metalwork, guests find connections in the ways the design, food, and ambiance work together.
PUBLIC SECTOR / OPEN SPACE / NON-PROFIT
Cascade Park (Winner)
Since 2000, the City of Tallahassee and Leon County Intergovernmental Agency, Blueprint 2000, has focused on the community’s critical infrastructure needs. The low-lying Cascades area was a high priority; flooding, and soil contamination from an old gas fired coal plant had plagued the area since the early 1900s. The plan concept for the new “Cascades Park” was to remediate the brownfield site, abate the persistent flooding by constructing natural-looking stormwater facilities, and restore/emulate the historic stream and “Cascades” waterfall. The Park was conceived, planned, designed and built over 15 years with involvement of multiple agencies,
the community and Blueprint 2000, and was funded almost entirely through a local option penny sales tax. The Blueprint 2000 “Capital Cascades Trail Master Plan” called for a multi-faceted, multi-use stormwater and recreation facility with a connected trail network, with Cascades Park as the centerpiece of a linear greenway. The park has community-wide impacts including improved water quality, enhanced traffic circulation and revitalized ecosystems.
Cummer Museum Improvements
In 2012, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens launched a campus-wide landscape enhancement and beautification initiative. As part of this comprehensive project, several areas on the campus were reimagined to become more beautiful, more dynamic, and more sustainable spaces for visitors to enjoy the natural world and learn about best practices. This project encompassed the restoration of the historic Olmsted Garden, which nearly doubled the Museum’s riverfront presence; the renovation of the Museum’s parking lot, incorporating sustainable and pedestrian-friendly elements such as pervious pavers and bike racks; and re- energizing the Museum’s public face by widening sidewalks, adding a publically-accessible sculpture garden, creating an outdoor deck for the Museum’s Café, and unifying the entire façade with innovative landscape.
DOWNTOWN SECTOR
The New Town Success Zone (Winner)
In 2011, and utilizing more than 600 volunteers, HabiJax completed a visual assessment of over 1,000 residential properties in The New Town area of Jacksonville. HabiJax embarked on a $16 million capital campaign to provide home ownership to 135 families and complete 300 projects for homeowners already living in the neighborhood. Since embarking on this campaign, HabiJax has partnered with almost 100 families who have purchased homes and more than 150 projects for existing homeowners have been completed.
Jacksonville Chamber International Plaza
Dubbed “Downtown’s New Front Door,” the Jacksonville Chamber International Plaza is a $3.5 million project that includes state-of-the-art technology, modern, open spaces, along with a tree-lined front plaza for events and receptions. The City owns the land and the Chamber owns the building, a truly successful Public-Private Partnership. Funded through donations by member businesses and longtime supporters, the JAX Chamber now has a building that’s a model for the workspace of the future and the business climate it is working to create in Northeast Florida.
REUSE / REPURPOSE SECTOR
St. Augustine Distillery & Ice Plant (Winner)
In 2012, Phillip McDaniel, a local St. Augustine businessman, purchased the 100 year old St. Augustine Ice Plant and converted the building into a distillery and restaurant/bar. The historic St. Augustine Ice Plant was the first commercial ice production in the State of Florida. Constructed in two phases between 1917 and 1927, it served as a prototype model for Florida Power & Light which produced 17 more such ice plants throughout the state. The building is now home to both the St. Augustine Distillery and The Ice Plant Bar and Restaurant.
Aardwolf Brewery
Originally built in 1925 as an ice storage house, this San Marco building sat vacant for several years. The people at Aardwolf saw an opportunity to claim a space in a highly desirable location that could serve as both a brewery and a tap room. The location was selected for several reasons. Not only is the building located in the heart of a neighborhood excited by their product, the existing warehouse doors allowed for the easy installation of the vats and shipping of the beer. Like most assembly buildings in developed parts of Jacksonville, the building faced the challenge of having enough parking for its clientele. The parking area was designed to maximize the number of parking spaces, create a buffer for the building and parking against the railroad tracks and provide a bike rack for neighborhood use.
THE 2014 VISIONARY LEADER AWARD
Peter S. Rummell
For more than 40 years, Peter Rummell has been instrumental in the real estate development industry. From beginning his career with the Sea Pines Company, developers of Hilton Head and Amelia Island, to his presidency of Disney Development Corporation, building over 20,000 hotel rooms and developing the town of Celebration, Florida, Peter Rummell has distinguished himself as a leader and innovator in the industry. As chairman and chief executive officer of The St. Joe Company, Rummell led the transition of St. Joe from a regional manufacturing conglomerate focused on paper making to a dynamic real estate company and place-making community development company.
Peter serves as a Trustee for the Urban Land Institute and is the immediate past global chairman of ULI and the ULI Foundation. He also serves on the board of the Foundation for Florida’s Future.
Peter is a past chairman of the Florida Council of 100, and past chairman and a board member of The Alliance for World Class Education. He is also the immediate past chairman of the Jacksonville Civic Council. In 2005, Rummell was co-chairman of the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee, which hosted Super Bowl XXXIX.
Peter is also the founder of One Spark, a crowd-funding creator’s event that launched in Jacksonville in 2013. This year’s event drew more than 600 creators and attendance neared 260,000 in downtown Jacksonville. One Spark is about connecting people with great ideas to the resources they need to make them a reality.
Peter Rummell is a true visionary leader, and has made North Florida a better place because of his contributions.
Source: Urban Land Institute (ULI) North Florida